‘Three Families’ Recap: ‘Part 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Part One of ‘Three Families’. Also, this article contains discussions on abortion and abortion rights, which may be triggering to some individuals.
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It is definitely safe to say, that we are living in some painfully precarious times right now when it comes to fundamental human rights. For the dark power of racism is back on the rise, Americans voting rights are hanging in the balance thanks to the power grab of a dying party and their outdated ideologies, and women’s rights are also in danger right now. For there continues to be a debate about whether or not a woman has any autonomy over her body, when there shouldn’t be… because what a woman does with her body is her choice. But that isn’t stopping various religious groups and other extremists to try and step in and remove that right by any means necessary. Which for a majority of them, involves going after a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. Since that is quite the easy target, one that can be seen as righteous under the guise of religion and somehow… murder, and sadly, they’re finding success in their efforts as evidenced by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

If anything, this sudden surge to remove fundamental rights for women, does leave all of us wondering… how we change this horrible course and perhaps open some minds to help people understand the need for such a choice to be available to women and that is why the Sundance Now series, Three Families, is so important to the conversation right now. For this is a story that takes the time to show people that don’t understand, why the right to choose is critical. Because it isn’t about the bullshit talking points, the ‘pro-lifers’ send our way, it’s about the fact that a woman isn’t a breeding vessel and doesn’t have to be obligated to commit to rearing a child. It’s about the reality that sometimes a pregnancy is unwanted or there’s danger to the mother or the child and well… this series makes those two particular points quite clear in its opening chapter by introducing us to a pair of families dealing with those issues in Ireland not that long ago, when their abortion laws were as draconian as it gets. 

One family, composed of Theresa, Orla and Mark, deal with that first issue. For one fine day, Theresa comes to discover that her daughter, Orla, is pregnant at the hands of an abusive lover, and with her whole life ahead of her, there’s concern that having this baby would change the course of Orla’s life. Which in turn, motivates Theresa to take matters into her own hands and help Orla terminate the pregnancy. An act that requires some secrecy on her part because of those aforementioned laws, to the point where she is forced to order abortion pills via the world wide web. Which unfortunately requires a medical visit when the pills cause Orla harm and that in turn, causes Theresa harm. For the authorities opt to charge her with crimes for taking part in this, putting her future at jeopardy since she is suddenly facing real jail time here. Which is a story that smoothly hammers home the fact that no woman should have to be put in this situation in the first place, where she must sneak around to terminate a pregnancy. It should be readily available as she sees fit so her future can be decided, by her. Especially if we’re talking about an unwanted pregnancy.

As for the other powerful story in this tale, well that relates to a young couple named Hannah and Jonathan, who in fact… are eager to become parents and celebrate mightily when they discover a baby is on the way. But unfortunately, a visit to the doctor reveals that their baby suffers from a genetic abnormality that will in fact, kill the child at birth. Prompting Hannah to make the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy so the child doesn’t suffer and so she doesn’t have to go through with the horror of placing a death sentence upon her baby. But alas, the horrible laws at the time, and the ridiculous waiting periods present then to get an abortion, put her past the point of no return, forcing her to give birth to a corpse. Something that shatters her and motivates her to step up and be an activist regarding this kind of cruel act. One set up under the guise of ‘pro-life’ when in fact, these laws and the horrible and over the line advice of her boss and other doctors, sentenced that child to death under the promise that perhaps ‘God’ will bless her and let the baby live.

If anything, both of those storylines… make for one stunning hour of television. One that truly exposes us to some of the problems that come about with Pro-Life laws and their woefully outdated views and extremist groundings. Because no two pregnancies are the same, and sometimes, people don’t want to be a parent and don’t feel the call that others claim to and that IS okay. Because we are free beings that can choose whatever path we so choose, and in the end, we are to be judged by a higher power… not people who immerse themselves in the belief that they are righteous. But what matters more here, is that this series finally educates people regarding the reality of pregnancies, and how they are actually viewed in the world and how it isn’t some miracle to all. Not when it could change the course of a life and cause outright suffering for the baby and the parents that have to reconcile the death of their newborn child and hopefully… this show starts the right conversations and change, so that a woman’s right to choose remains. Until next time.  

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